Losing Control And Finding Your Heart
by RoguesKnight
Summary: Spring Break at Xavier's Institute finds Scott and Rogue alone and growing closer. Will they admit their feelings for each other? And what will the consequences be? Scott/Rogue..Rated R for language, situations, violence and brief nudity. *Complete*
1. Home Alone?

Losing Control and Finding Your Heart  
  
Disclaimer: Poor college student; the characters and situations in this story do not belong to me. In other words, I sadly don't own X-Men Evolution, so please don't sue. Furthermore, this is my first Evo Fanfic so please be kind.flames will be used to heat the water in my apt. Oh, yea.this is a Scott/Rogue story.you have been warned...  
  
Rating: R.language, violence, brief nudity, .I think that covers it Dedication: To my wonderful fiancée, who gave me my first kiss, is my first love, and the first woman to ever accept me just as I am. I love you.  
  
There were times when Scott Summers hated being an orphan. Granted, he knew things could be worse: he could be living on the streets, he could be stuck in an abusive home, he could be dead at the hands of anti-mutant zealots. As it was, he was surrounded by friends, knew he had family and could call Alex just about anytime he wanted, lived in a mansion, and occasionally got to save the world. However, with Xavier's Institute closed for Spring Break, pretty much all of his friends had gone to their respective families and he was stuck in the mansion alone for a whole week and a half. The Professor had gone down to Argentina for a conference on Mutant's Rights in the Third World, taking Hank and Logan with him for protection if it was necessary and Ororo had taken Evan back home to spend a week with her sister , which meant that all of the adults were gone. Fortunately the automated defense systems of the mansion and his own fighting skill meant that anything short of a full scale attack could be handled with little fuss. Unfortunately it meant that he was bored out of his mind.  
  
"Ok", he said to himself, running his hands through his brown hair in frustration, "What do normal teens do on Spring Break? Worry about the next life threatening situation that will pop up..or relax?" The answer was obvious, even to someone as straight laced and as much a worrier as himself. *But how?* he thought; drinking was out, even if there was any alcohol at the institute, which he was pretty sure there wasn't. The thought hit him as he completed his twenty-seventh circle around his room. *The new hot tub..I could always take a nice relaxing dip in that * Scott smiled, his dilemma temporarily solved as he rummaged through his dresser, finally pulling out a pair of bright blue swim trunks. He then grabbed a towel from his closet and headed down into the basement's men's room, which was connected to the pool area, to shower and change into his swim suit.  
  
Exiting the men's room Scott was slightly shocked to see that he wasn't as alone as he thought in the mansion, and that someone had had the same idea that he did. The figure sitting in the hot tub had her back to him, but he could very clearly tell that it was female from the vibrant green bikini straps over her soft shoulders and around her back. * Wonder who that is * he thought. His silent inquiry was answered as the figure brushed her auburn hair back, revealing a few white strands at the front. * Rogue?! * he thought, shocked, * what's she still doing here? And where did she get a bikini?*. Intending to find out, he quietly snuck up behind her, " Hey, is that seat taken?" Rogue quickly whipped around to face the voice behind her, her green eyes flashing with surprise "God Scott, don't do that! You nearly scared me half to death!," Scott barely managed to suppress a grin as he asked again, "Is that seat taken?", indicating a spot not too far from her. "Naw" Rogue replied, " go right ahead". Scott slid into the warm water, sighing in relief as the bubbles of a nearby jet massaged his back. As he got more comfortable physically, the atmosphere became slightly less comfortable as he gazed at Rogue, taken aback by the sheer amount of skin she was showing and trying to tactfully ask why she wasn't somewhere else. "Spill it!" Rogue commanded in her customary annoyed tone, " Or are ya just going to stare at my breasts all day?". "Well..." Scott grinned, making a show of admiring her breasts "they are fairly easy on the eyes.I think I could stare all day, yes." In spite of herself, Rogue felt an answering grin tug at her lips, allowing her eyes to slide down Scott's chest to his trunks, obscured by the jet's bubbles and raising an eyebrow " Do Ah get a show too?" she asked, pleased to see the fearless leader of the X-Men blush under her gaze.  
  
"Actually, I was just wondering what you're still doing here" he replied, quickly changing the subject. " What? Don't Ah have just as much right as you to be here?" Rogue asked, clearly annoyed. " You do, of course you do. I just thought I remembered Kitty saying that you would be welcome to go home with her for the break" Scott said quickly, trying to placate the beautiful young woman. Now it was Rogue's turn to blush as she settled back against the wall of the tub. " She did. Ah just decided it would be too awkward. Her parents are just getting used to having one mutant in the family; Ah didn't want to strain that by being a second mutant under their roof. What about you? Don't you normally visit Alex when we have breaks.being the good big brother and all that?". Scott sighed, " Normally yes, but this year he and some friends decided to go down to Cancun for Spring Break, and I don't think that his foster parents would understand if I just showed up to stay with them." " Ah see" Rogue replied as a slightly more comfortable silence refilled the room.  
  
" Ahh.Rogue?" Scott asked hesitantly, " not that I'm not enjoying the view, but why do you own a bikini? Isn't that just a bit dangerous for you?". Rogue glared at him and he was profoundly grateful that she wasn't the one with optic blasts, otherwise he'd be very dead at the moment. "If you must know" she replied testily, " Ah've had it for a while now.Ah only wear it when Ah know it'll be safe.it's a treat for me to be able to feel this much without worrying about hurting anyone". * Idiot * Scott thought to himself * Way to remind her about her ability *. In an effort to make amends, he slid right next to her, carefully yet casually placing his arm on the wall of the tub behind her. " I'm sorry" he said softly, trying to catch her eyes, " I didn't mean to put it like that.I was just shocked.not in a bad way.arg.there I go again.sit near a beautiful woman and my foot goes instantly into my mouth". Rogue turned to face him slightly * He thinks I'm beautiful? * While part of her brain and all of her heart were dancing with joy, the southern goth fixed a frown onto her face, " What the fuck do you think you're doing sitting this close to me? Aren't ya afraid that you'll get hurt?" Scott lowered his eyes for a moment, though she couldn't see it behind the red shades " Ok, I had that one coming.and you have every right to be upset with me Rogue. But no.I'm not afraid that I'll get hurt being this close to you. I trust you Rogue. You're my friend and I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt me."  
  
Rogue sighed, trying very hard to stay angry at him but failing miserably, " Apology accepted Scott. You know, for a bright guy with a great tactical mind, you don't have a clue what to say around a woman" Scott smiled mischievously, "That would be because all of the blood has left my brain in the presence of such sexiness ." * First beautiful, now sexy * Rogue thought * If Ah didn't know better, Ah'd swear he was flirting with me *. " Ya know Scott, it's not exactly fair that you have the better view and Ah have to try to see through the bubbles" She carefully placed her hand on his swim suit, just shy of his inner thigh and grinned evilly, watching him turn nearly as red as his sunglasses. "Ok!" he squeaked, causing her grin to grow even wider " Ok, you win.I'll stop making comments if you just move your hand". " Oh? And just how do you want me to move my hand?" She asked, winking teasingly. "You know what I meant!" he replied, going from red to a deep crimson. " Ah know sugah, Ah know." She said, moving her hand back to her side, "Ah think Ah've been in here long enough.but Ah'm sure Ah'll see you around this week since we're both here." With that she stood up and Scott turned his head away quickly to avoid staring at her crotch, causing her to chuckle " Such a gentleman Scott." As she climbed out of the hot tub Scott turned back and nearly choked on his words as he saw that the bottom of her bikini was a thong; she was halfway back to the women's room when he called out " Hey.I was just going to order a few pizzas and live off of those til everyone else returned when I thought I was alone here, but since you're here too, how about I go grocery shopping later and cook dinner tonight instead?" Rogue smiled at the thought of a dinner with just her and Scott, " Sure, that'd be great" she said before walking back to the women's room, putting just a bit of extra sway into her hips as she did. As the door to the women's room closed she could swear she heard a groan coming from the direction of the hot tub * This is going to be an interesting night * she thought, her smile widening. 


	2. Dinner Plans and Other Decisions

Losing Control And Finding Your Heart Chapter 2: Dinner Plans and Other Decisions  
  
Disclaimer: Same as before. Poor college student who isn't fortunate enough to own X-Men Evolution, if I did maybe Rogue and Scott would find the happiness they both deserve. Please don't sue.  
  
Dedication: Still to my beautiful fiancée, the woman who helped me find my own heart. Special Thanks: to all those who have read and reviewed so positively so far!  
  
And without any further ado...  
  
A short while after leaving Scott sitting in the hot tub, Rogue was curled up on the couch in the study, wearing her usual green top with black halter over it, black mini-skirt and black leggings, and of course protective gloves, indulging in one of her guilty pleasures. Namely reading a steamy romance novel, chock full of the "heaving bosoms" and "powerful rods of manhood", that made for, in her opinion, good reading. In fact, such novels were often the reason for her being a late riser in the morning, she would wait until Kitty was fast asleep before turning on the lamp by her bed and settling in for a chapter or two. Just because she couldn't touch didn't mean that she couldn't fantasize about being able to, and she would often imagine that she were the female protagonist in the story as she drifted off to sleep. This book in particular, was her favorite, " Forbidden Passions", mainly for two reasons: one, the male protagonist's name was Scott, much more to her liking than the stereotypical Dirks and Victors of other novels; and two, because the love scenes were rather detailed. Usually it was a great way for her to unwind from the stress of the day and could hold her attention even though she'd read it at least five times.  
  
Today however, her mind kept wandering back to the basement and the handsome young leader of the X-Men she had left in the hot tub. * Was he actually flirting with me? * She wondered as her gloved finger flipped the page. She desperately wanted the answer to that question to be yes, that he'd finally noticed that she was indeed a girl, just like Jean, or hell, even Kitty. * Naw * she decided, as she re-read a sentence for the seventh time * Ah'm not that lucky. Ah'll always be just his friend, and besides what would it matter if he was? It's not like we can touch, let alone kiss. Nothing could come of it*. Rogue sighed, not for the first time cursing her "gift" that left her so isolated from everyone else and forced herself to re-focus on the book. She was so intent on reading that she didn't hear the elevator in the hall stop on the ground floor, nor did she notice the object of her thoughts standing in the doorway to the study.  
  
After sitting in the hot tub for half an hour by himself, trying not to remember how amazing Rogue had looked in her bikini, * her thong bikini! * his mind had delighted in reminding him, he decided that colder water was probably a good idea and swam his usual fifty laps, in the pool trying to reassure himself that it was the vigorous exercise and not mental images of a certain team member that had his heart racing. He'd then gone back up to his room and changed into a pair of black jean shorts and a light blue tank top before going to look for Rogue to discuss dinner plans. He found her in the study, curled up on the couch with her back to him, obviously reading something, but he couldn't tell what. * I'm probably risking being punched out * he thought * but sneaking up on her twice in one day; just too good to pass up*. Being careful to avoid squeaky floorboards, Scott made his way onto the carpet and quietly crept up behind the couch. " What're you reading?," he asked slightly louder than normal, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice. The results were even better than he could have hoped for. Rogue jumped nearly a foot off the couch and spun to face him, at the same time stuffing whatever it was she had been reading under a pillow. "Scott! Do that one more time, and Ah swear to God that Ah am going to kick your ass into next week," she growled, doing a fairly good impression of Logan, in Scott's opinion. He grinned unabashedly, " Anyone ever mention that you're beautiful when you're threatening people? And what was it that you were so involved in that you didn't hear me coming?". " N..nothing important," Rogue stammered, " Just a book. Pretty dull actually, Ah'm just tired and that's why I didn't hear you come in". Scott raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her, " Uh-huh, sure. Then you won't mind if I do this..". With speed that would have made Quicksilver proud, Scott dodged around Rogue's body on the couch and grabbed the book from under the pillow before backing away from the couch.  
  
It was a rather standard looking trashy romance novel; some busty brunette half falling out of her top, in the arms of some muscular blond guy with hair far too long. " Forbidden Passions?" he asked, a smirk pulling at his lips as he looked down at the worn pages of the obviously well read book, " Don't tell me you actually enjoy these things". Getting over her initial shock, Rogue's eyes narrowed and she thrust her hand towards Scott, growling dangerously " Unless you have a serious death wish, Ah suggest you give that back right now and forget you ever saw it.". Scott's smirk blossomed into a full blown smile, amusement evident in his voice " My god, you are! You actually read this stuff!!" he flipped the book open to a dog eared page, clearly the last she had been reading and began to read it aloud in his best imitation of a feminine voice, " Rebecca's hands twisted in the rumpled bed sheets as waves of ecstasy crashed over her body; her full breasts heaving in the throes of passion as Scott's powerful pole invaded her very depths". Rogue's face reddened with equal parts embarrassment and anger as she slowly slid off the couch and stalked towards Scott with murder in her eyes, " Ah'm giving you one more chance Summers. Put the book back in my hand right now and forget you saw it, or else." " Or else what?" he challenged, closing the book and holding it over his head, well out of her reach. " Or else, the gloves come off." She stated, matter of fact. " I'm so sure" he teased, standing on his tip toes to put even more distance between Rogue and the book. True to her word, Rogue slowly pulled off one glove and then the other, glaring at Scott the whole time,  
  
Ah warned ya Scott".  
  
With the suddenness of a striking snake, the young woman launched herself at Scott's midsection, tackling him to the carpet behind the couch. Despite the surprise of the assault, Scott managed to hold onto the book and stretched his arm as far as he could to keep it from her, "Nice try Rogue, but not enough I'm afraid" he said, smiling up at her. Rogue returned his smile with an evil smile of her own and kept silent as her hands carefully found Scott's sides, covered by the material of his tank top and proceeded to tickle him. Shocked, Scott threw the book back onto the couch and instinctively reached down to grab her hands, realizing just in time that they were bare and pulling back. " Ah warned you sugah," Rogue smiled sweetly, continuing her tickle assault , " But you just didn't want to listen" . Scott writhed under her attack, laughing uncontrollably and desperately trying to find a way to turn the tables * Only her hands are bare! * he realized. Quickly, his own hands found her well covered sides and tickled in retaliation. Rogue squealed in shock, it had been years since anyone had dared to tickle her and she had forgotten just how ticklish she was, " No fair Summers," she managed between fits of laughter, " Ah was only tickling because you provoked me into attacking". *My god, she's beautiful when she smiles * Scott thought as he continued tickling the young woman squirming on top of him * She should do it more often *. " Hey," he said, trying to hold back laughter himself, " turn about is fair play. You should never underestimate your opponents. You can consider this training without the risks of the Danger Room". Rogue laughed, " Oh, Ah'm sure that the Professor and Logan are just working us up to the challenge of dangerous tickle attacks." Scott grinned, his comment had had the desired effect and she had paused in her tickling. Grasping her hands at the wrists, covered by the sleeves of her shirt he quickly pulled them over her head and rolled over, pinning her against the floor and staring into her eyes. " Oh, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss unconventional tactics," he said, " no matter how unconventional they seem. Surrender?" "Never." She replied, staring back into his eyes.  
  
They laid like that for what seemed like forever, breathing heavily but not solely from the tickle fight they'd just had, their lips just inches apart. * I wonder if her lips are as soft as they look* Scott thought, his head lowering slightly towards hers. * Oh my god! Is he going to kiss me? * Rogue wondered, wishing she could just give in, even for a second and let her dreams come true but knowing the consequences of that momentary loss of control. Her eyes darted around for a distraction and settled on one that would serve to break the intimate moment, unfortunately. In their wrestling they'd moved close enough to her book for her fingers to brush the pages. She arched her body up against Scott's committing the sensation to memory and stretched her left hand just enough to close around the book. "Ah told you Ah'd never surrender," she whispered, her lips close enough to his that he could feel her breath on them. Scott paused, puzzled by what she meant until his eyes slid along her arm to the book in her hand. "Stubborn," he laughed, rolling off of her and offering her a hand up. " You know it sugah," Rogue smiled, putting her gloves back on before taking the offered hand and standing up. * Close one Summers * Scott berated himself * what the hell were you thinking? You keep playing with fire and you're going to get burned*. Scott led Rogue back to the couch and waited until she sat down before taking a seat beside her. " So, what did you want before you decided to harass me?" Rogue asked, " Ah presume that harassing me wasn't your only intention in coming in here." " Actually." Scott smiled impishly, " no it wasn't. I was getting ready to go out grocery shopping for tonight and was wondering if you wanted to come along?" Rogue smiled, the prospect of dinner alone with Scott seeming even more appealing after being pressed against him * Ah don't need to be thinking about that * she chastised herself, " Actually Scott, Ah think I'll just stay here if you don't mind. Ah seem to have worked up a bit of a sweat just now" she blushed as the words left her mouth and she realized how that must have sounded. Scott however didn't notice as thoughts of other ways to build up a sweat with Rogue flitted through his mind. " Out of curiosity," Rogue asked, " what are you planning on making?" Scott smiled, thankful for a mundane topic to focus his mind on, " Only the world famous, Scott Summer's chicken parmesan in a homemade sauce on top of angel hair pasta," he replied with more than a little pride. " World famous, huh?" Rogue smiled, " Ah can't wait." " You won't have to wait long anyway," Scott said as he stood up, " I'd better get going so I can get started on it at a decent time. I'll be back in a bit." With that he walked out of the study and headed for the garage. *What's up with you Scott Summers? * Rogue wondered * Why did you try to kiss me? Could you actually like me as more than just your friend?*. Rogue looked longingly towards the garage, * Only one way to find out *. Grabbing her book once more, Rogue headed out of the study and up to her room to change. 


	3. A Rock and A Hard Place

Losing Control And Finding Your Heart Chapter 3: A Rock and a Hard Place  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of X-Men Evolution, especially not Scott or Rogue. However, they own me, and Rogue in particular is threatening violence if I don't keep updating. I'm sure kind hearted lawyers out there don't want me to be injured by a certain southern belle, so please no lawsuits. Furthermore, I do not own anything of Shakira's, nor does she own anything of mine, so we're equal. No lawsuits are needed there either.  
  
Dedication: to the other woman who owns me; my wonderful fiancée, I love you and miss you!! Special Thanks: Once again, to all those who've reviewed and encouraged me to continue.god help you if I find out Scott or Rogue is just paying you to say such nice things...j/k.. thanks for the support.  
  
And away we go..  
  
Backing his distinctive red sports car with its white racing stripe out of the garage, Scott wondered just what the hell had happened.or rather, had almost happened back in the study. * I can't believe I almost kissed Rogue. Have I lost my freaking mind? * he thought as he turned into the driveway to the mansion and headed for the road. If he were to be honest with himself, he'd have to admit that it wasn't the first time kissing Rogue had seemed like a good idea, just the first time he had nearly acted on his desire. Scott sighed, turning out onto the road and hitting the gas, " How could I be so careless? She probably thinks I'm a total jerk," he muttered, " And now I'm talking to myself, maybe I am going crazy." He briefly wondered if an insanity defense would be an acceptable way to explain his actions to her when he got back with the groceries. * Yea, that'd be just the perfect thing to say to her. The only reason I wanted to kiss you so badly is that I'm losing my mind. Man, do I know how to sweet talk a woman *. He slammed his hand down onto the steering in exasperation column and jumped slightly as his horn blared in response, thankful that no one was in front of him to think he was being an ass. * Right, driving, should focus on that instead of thinking about Rogue.her bathing suit..what it would be like to kiss..yes.driving * he thought. However, his mind wasn't paying attention to its own commands.  
  
It had started out innocently enough. He had just wanted to help Rogue feel more at home with the team, maybe get her to open up a little. So he'd tried to get her to eat lunch with everyone at school, and when that failed, he ate lunch with her instead. Sometimes they would talk, but more often they'd just eat quietly side by side under a tree in the courtyard; not exactly ringing success but over time something amazing had happened. Rogue had started opening up to him, nothing earth shaking, mostly small talk and the rare smile, but it was the start of their friendship, a bond that had grown stronger as time went on. Rogue showed him a side of herself that no one else had seen, the frightened and frustrated young woman, as much a prisoner in her own body as the psyches that she absorbed. As a result, Scott had taken special care to check up on her after each mission when they got back to the mansion, particularly after those missions when she'd used her power on someone. He was determined to provide an anchor for her, a way to keep in touch with reality when the psyches became too much. It was, he considered, just part of being a good leader, making sure that every part of his team was working well. Then came the night when everything changed, the night he had begun to fall in love with her without realizing it.  
  
It was about a week after a particularly brutal battle with Mystique; in the middle of the night there had been a soft but urgent knocking on his bedroom door. When he'd opened it, there Rogue stood, her eyes red and puffy from crying, wearing little more than a long night gown and her gloves she had thrown herself into his arms and begun sobbing uncontrollably. He'd just held her, rubbing her back until she calmed down, and then to avoid waking any others on the floor had led her down to the study where she confided in him that she hadn't been sleeping well for the past week. Apparently the psyches she had absorbed previously, in particular Magneto's, had been stirred up by the confrontation with Mystique and plagued her with nightmares and fears that she was losing control of her mind and body. She'd been too afraid to mention it to the Professor because she thought he'd decide she was a liability to the team if she couldn't handle the problem herself and forbid her to go on other missions. Scott had convinced her that telling the Professor of her fears would be the best thing, and the very next day after school she told him that Xavier had suggested that they begin working on controlling the psyches through meditation that very afternoon. She had unexpectedly hugged him and gave him a rare smile, thanking him for the suggestion before walking off, leaving him standing in the middle of the hall. After that, he started to take more notice of her in general; the way her hair delicately framed her face, the easy grace with which she did everything, the twinkle in her eyes whenever she teased any of the other X-Men. He'd dismissed the feelings as just a crush, but they didn't go away. In fact, they had intensified, leading to the near kiss in the study not half an hour ago.  
  
Pulling into the parking lot of the Fresh Stop, Bayville's One Stop Convenience Shop, Scott thought back to the sparkle in her eyes during the tickle fight. They'd held such life, such innocence and joy. For one brief moment, it was as if the dark cloud she constantly surrounded herself with had lifted and let the sun through. " If I wasn't in love with her before that, that one look would have done me in," he muttered amusedly as he turned off the engine. He was halfway out of the door when he froze, as his words registered in his head. * I'm in love with her? * he wondered silently, and was stunned by the strength of feeling that resulted from the inquiry * Yes, I'm in love with her! I love Rogue!!.oh crap..what am I going to do? *. Despite the consequences of falling in love with her buffeting his brain, a slow smile spread across his face as he finished climbing out of the car. Suddenly, the prospect of dinner with Rogue presented a whole new set of intriguing possibilities. As he walked towards the store, a beat up, junk heap of a jeep caught his eye. One that was all too familiar * Damn * he thought * At least Alvers is here, possibly more of the Brotherhood as well *. While he wasn't worried about a confrontation with the Brotherhood, he considered them to be more of a nuisance than a menace, he wasn't in the mood for putting up with a hundred questions as to what was up with his smiling when he was normally so uptight. And so, walking into the Fresh Stop, he schooled his features to the serious expression that was second nature to him.  
  
First stop was the poultry section to pick up a pack of chicken breasts, and while he was in the area, he picked up a package of whole parmesan cheese to grate as well, keeping his eyes open for any familiar figures all the while. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he could see neither hide nor hair of any of the Brotherhood. On one hand, it was a good thing, as he didn't have to put up with them; on the other, it probably meant that they were getting into some trouble that he'd have to take care of. He pondered this standing in the middle of the cereal aisle, completely oblivious to the perky blonde in the Fresh Stop uniform who had sidled up to him. " Can I help you with something sir?" she asked. Startled, Scott turned to face her, quickly recognizing her from his Spanish class at Bayville High, Kimmy, " Ahhh.no thanks. I was just torn between regular Cheerios and the new Berry Blast Cheerios ," he lied quickly. " Oh Scott! I didn't recognize you there for a second," Kimmy said, flashing him a dazzling smile, " If you ask me, I'd go with the normal Cheerios, the new ones are a little too sweet for my taste" * Of course, I didn't ask you * he thought darkly, but smiling in return he said " Thanks for the suggestion. I don't mind the extra sugar though, might keep me awake in the mornings." He quickly grabbed a box of the new Cheerios and put them in his basket, hoping that would be enough to send her off. Unfortunately, he wasn't that lucky. " Oh, so you like sweet things, huh?" she winked, " I get off work at seven, if you'd like to get together later for dessert". Internally, Scott groaned at her attempt to be seductive * God save me from horny high school girls*. Contrary to what everyone seemed to think, Scott wasn't oblivious to the fact that a fair percentage of Bayville High's female population nursed crushes on him. However, ignoring the fact was simply the easiest way to avoid the inevitable confrontation about his wearing red sunglasses all the time. He knew the glasses and his aloof nature had given him a reputation for being mysterious and had no doubt that the mystery was the main source of attraction for the girls. It was a mystery he knew they wouldn't enjoy solving, and he was rather fond of not blowing holes in anything on a fairly regular basis, so the glasses stayed firmly in place and he remained "oblivious" to the crushes.  
  
" So what do you say?" Kimmy prompted, obviously deciding he was taking far too long to be drawn to her. " Actually," he began " I already have a date tonight", he tried not to notice the crestfallen look that briefly crossed her face at his announcement. It wasn't hard to ignore, as it was there for perhaps a half second before she smiled " Well, if it doesn't work out with whoever the lucky girl is, give me a call." She quickly pulled a pen and paper from her back pocket and scribbled down a number, stuffing it into his pants' front pocket and walking away before he could protest. Scott sighed, and when he was good and sure she was gone, replaced the box of cereal on the shelf. He was on his way to the produce section; quickly stopping in the pasta aisle to grab a box of angel hair noodles and tomato paste for his sauce, when he spied a display of Twinkies. * Hmmm.Twinkies * he smiled evilly * I believe Rogue has a certain fondness for these.and I should do something to make up for teasing her about her book earlier*. His mind made up, he grabbed a box and tossed it into his basket before continuing on into the produce section. He picked up a head of lettuce, a couple of carrots, some mushrooms and black olives for a salad and was about to head to the check out when he walked into the floral department.  
  
In a large cooler compartment before him was a vast array of flowers, from carnations to roses and everything in between. The roses in particular seemed to call to him, it was after all a dinner date with Rogue, something just told him that he should get her flowers. However he was torn between red and pink roses; he knew how he felt about her, but was it even remotely possible that she could return his feelings? As he tried to figure out just which flowers to get for Rogue, an older woman in a Fresh Stop uniform seemed to take pity on him, " Need some help finding the right flowers for your girlfriend sir?". Scott jumped slightly, startled and tuned to face the woman whose name tag identified her as Grace " Err.ahh.yes.I mean no.I mean yes.but she's not my girlfriend" he blushed as he stumbled over his tongue, trying to fit his thoughts into some order. Grace smiled kindly, " But you'd like her to be, wouldn't you? No need to answer, I've seen it dozens of times in my own sons alone and they aren't much older than you. If I may make a suggestion?" Scott nodded, relieved that someone who knew what they were doing could help. " Why don't you try six of each, red and pink? It gives the perfect hint of attraction blossoming into love, and the colors are a lovely mix for spring romances" as she spoke, Grace deftly plucked six of the best looking roses from their respective buckets and carried them to the counter to wrap them, Scott following behind her quietly. "There you go," she said, writing down a price on a ticket and handing it and the flowers to Scott, " just give that to the cashier when you're ready to check out and they'll ring it up for you. And good luck with your friend". "Thank you" Scott smiled, feeling a little tension drain from his body, though it was quickly replaced with worry as to whether or not Rogue would like the flowers. Finally, with all of his supplies for the evening gathered in the basket, he headed for the check out, only to stop short and fight the urge to rub his eyes in disbelief at what he was seeing. Behind the register at one of the two open lanes stood Lance Alvers, wearing a frown and a Fresh Stop uniform.  
  
Scott quickly glanced at the other open lane, hoping to avoid dealing with his counter part in the Brotherhood, when he saw that it was being cashiered by Kimmy. * Damned if I do, damned if I don't * Scott thought as he headed for Alvers' lane, and what he hoped was the lesser of two evils. Lance groaned * Of course Summers just had to pick my lane, couldn't possibly pick the one with the cute girl, could he? *. With a sigh he flicked the conveyor belt on, bringing Scott's purchases, and hence Summers himself, up to the register. " Not a word, one-eye," Lance growled as he began ringing up the items. " Come on now Alvers, is that anyway to treat a customer?" Scott smiled just a little too cheerfully, raising his voice on the word customer. " Hey! Cut that out, I can't afford to get fired!" Lance said in a harsh whisper. Intrigued by the other man's apparent concern for his job, Scott asked, " What're you doing working here? I never pegged you for the service with a smile type". Alvers glared at the smug X-geek and the magazine racks in his lane began to shake violently before he realized what he was doing and immediately calmed down, looking around quickly to see if anyone had noticed anything strange. " Look, with Mystique gone to ground god knows where someone has to pay the bills back at the house, cause good old helmet head sure doesn't kick in any money for his underlings. Do you think any of the others has a decent shot at holding a job? No.so by default, I get to be the lucky bread winner, alright?"  
  
Scott looked at Lance with as close to respect as he would come for any member of the Brotherhood, " That's tough man. You know, you can always give us another shot. I'll even try not to be so hard on you". If Lance was taken aback by the offer, it didn't show " Nah, someone's gotta look out for those twits I live with ya know?". Scott nodded, knowing all too well the pressures of being a leader. An uncomfortable silence settled in as Lance finished ringing up the items and told Scott the price. Almost as an after thought he asked, " I noticed the flowers there Summers and not that I care but; hot date tonight?" Scott handed him the cash, down to the exact cent and answered " Not that it's any of your business, yes". Lance shot him a conspiratorial grin, " So, red's finally decided to give you a shot, huh". Behind his glasses Scott glared, " It's not Jean. Actually, the date's with Rogue". The shock on Alvers' face was well worth having to share his private business with the Brotherhood leader. " Rogue? You mean she can.?" Lance let the question hang, knowing full well that Scott would know what he meant. " No" he replied with a shake of his head. " Then how.." Alvers began but was cut off, " I don't know Lance. All I know is that I'm in.". As if he suddenly realized just who he was having a heart to heart with, Scott clamped him mouth shut. " Deep trouble" Lance finished for him, his tone telling Scott that he knew just what Scott was going to say. Scott nodded and began to walk out, pushing his cart ahead of him when he was stopped by Lance calling out, "Hey!" Scott turned back to face the other man, his expression clearly saying he wasn't in the mood to be teased. " I'm only going to say this once Summers, so listen up. Rogue's a good girl, deep down that's probably why she didn't stay with us, and she deserves a good guy. You, for an anal retentively straight laced boy scout, are a good guy. But just because she jumped into your camp doesn't mean I don't care about her. I love that girl like a sister, and if you do anything to hurt her. If you break her heart, I swear to god, I will do everything in my power to make your life a living hell." Scott flashed Lance a quick smile before replying, " Alvers, if I hurt her, I'll save you the trouble of hunting me down". With that he turned and walked out of the store.  
  
His groceries securely in the back seat, Scott found himself turning his conversation with Alvers over in his mind the entire ride back to the institute, wondering just whose heart would be broken if he acted on his feelings for Rogue and if it were even remotely possible to ignore them any more. The first question's answer eluded him as he parked the car back in the garage, but perhaps more disturbingly, he found the second question's answer to be a resounding no. Grabbing his bags from the back seat he walked back into the mansion, glancing into the study he saw that Rogue was no longer there * Hmmm.wonder if she's around at all*. Deciding he'd look for her once he was unpacked, he wandered into the kitchen and flipped the radio on as he began to unpack the groceries.  
  
Upstairs in hers and Kitty's room, Rogue was putting the finishing touches on her make-up. Just the faintest hint of blush adorned her cheeks, and her lips were colored a deep red instead of their normal black. * Ah never thought normal "girly" make-up could make mine look easy to put on * She thought, carefully brushing on some mascara. She had heard Scott return from grocery shopping, but since he didn't call out for help with anything or immediately come looking for her she figured she had a few more minutes before she'd go down and say hi. After he had left, she'd gone upstairs and stripped out of her normal clothes and performed a maddening search for something that would wow him without being too dressy. She'd settled on a light green turtle neck and a long dark blue jean dress. She'd borrowed Kitty's hair curler to give the ends of her hair just a little more curl towards her face and decided to forego her normal heavy make-up for something a tad more natural looking. * And now for the final touch * she thought, bringing up a small spray bottle of perfume, an as of yet unused Christmas present from Kitty, called "Midnight in Mississippi"; it wasn't horribly strong, in fact only the faintest hint of lilac could be detected when spayed. Rogue spritzed the perfume into the air and quickly walked through the cloud to stand in front of a full length mirror. She smiled softly at the reflection she barely recognized as her own. * Ah'm beautiful * She thought, slightly awed by the image reflecting back to her * At least Ah hope Scott thinks so *. With one last lingering look in the mirror Rogue slipped out into the hall and down the stairs where she could hear the sound of Shakira's "Wherever, whenever" coming from the kitchen. Walking towards the music she was stopped by the sight of Scott, quite lustily singing along and shaking his ass in an approximation of the Columbian singer as he put groceries away, quite unaware that she was behind him. Leaning against the doorframe her first thought was * Ah wish Ah had a video camera * followed closely by her second, more evil thought * Payback's a bitch Scott * 


	4. Someone's in the Kitchen with Rogue

Losing Control And Finding Your Heart Chapter 4: Someone's in the Kitchen with Rogue  
  
Disclaimer: Still don't own X-Men Evolution. I keep checking my mailbox for royalty checks, and they aren't coming, so I'm going to presume that I'll continue not owning Evolution. Nor do I own anything of, or by for that matter, Pink. " I swear" isn't owned by me either.  
  
Dedication: to my fiancée, the only woman who can consistently get me to cook. Special Thanks: to my wonderful reviewers.you guys keep me up til 3 am or later to get these things uploaded.and I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks for all your support so far!  
  
And now dear friends, once more into the breach...  
  
Taking a page from Scott's book, Rogue quietly snuck up behind him as he continued to sing and shake, oblivious to her presence. " Ah never knew you had moves like that" she whispered close to his ear and quickly smacking his ass, " Ah guess we're gonna have to get you out clubbing some time so you can show the world." Scott whirled around quickly, almost tripping over his own feet in the process, his face bright red. " Good god Rogue, you almost gave me a heart attack. And for the record, no, I will never, ever be showing those moves to anyone else. You should just forget you ever saw that". " Oh, like you forgot my book this afternoon, Summers? Not a chance in hell." She grinned, folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the island in the middle of the kitchen. Scott prepared to respond with a smart-assed remark when all the air seemed to leave his body at once. It was the first good look he'd gotten at Rogue since she had snuck up on him and the view was incredible. Gone were all traces of the anti-social goth chick she presented to the world normally, and in her place stood the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Her green turtle neck seemed to find all of her curves without trying to show them off and the long skirt accented the length of her legs hidden beneath it. Scott felt a flush creep up his neck as he unabashedly checked out his teammate. The most amazing part in his opinion was how soft and fragile she looked without the harsh make-up she normally wore. * Is she actually wearing red lipstick? * he wondered. He opened his mouth to compliment her on her outfit but nothing came out as his brain tried to come up with words that could describe how wonderful she looked to him. Finally, after several moments he settled on "Wow".  
  
Rogue smiled softly, the exclamation had almost been too soft for her to hear, but the expression on Scott's face clearly conveyed everything he couldn't find the words for. "Thanks sugah, Ah'm glad you approve." She said, " And since you've obviously spent the past couple minutes committing me to memory like this, why should I bother to forget the memory of you shaking your fine ass and singing with the radio? What's in it for me?" she winked, flashing him a teasing grin " Ah mean it's not like Ah'm Jean, and could broadcast that image to everyone else." Scott couldn't have asked for a better opening than the one she'd given him. " What's in it for you to keep quiet? How about these?". Reaching into a grocery bag at his feet he pulled out the box of Twinkies and tossed it to her. Rogue caught the box that he'd tossed and stared at it for a moment uncomprehending before flipping it over and seeing just what it contained * Oh my god.how did he know Ah love these things? *. If there had been any doubt in his mind about purchasing the spongy snack cakes earlier, all traces of it were erased by the surprise and sheer joy written on Rogue's face as she looked at the box. Or maybe it was just anticipation of a Twinkie induced sugar rush, which was an equally plausible possibility. " Scott, Ah could kiss you! Ah mean if it weren't for.." As she trailed off it was as if Scott could actually see the dark clouds forming around her, killing the twinkle in her eyes and the life in her voice * Not this time * he thought fiercely * Not ever again if there's anything I can do about it *. " Hey," he said brightly, snapping her eyes to him, " As far as I can tell, you're fairly well covered up there, and I've never had any problems with hugs." She smiled slightly, a remnant of life still in her eyes " Ok, so there was that one time.but only because it was Kurt. He was so thrilled that Kitty actually said she'd go on a date with him that I think he'd have hugged just about anyone or anything. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time" Laughing, Rogue threw her arms around him, holding him close to her * Pay dirt ! * he thought, grinning. She pulled back slightly, clearly amused by the thought of Kurt clinging to Scott the way she was, and gazed into his glasses, directly into his eyes behind the lenses though she couldn't see them " Why? " she asked curiously.  
  
" Why was I in the wrong place at the wrong time?" he asked teasingly, purposely misunderstanding the question, " I was just on the way to my room to get ready for some danger room training and he happened to be in the hall at the same time. Next thing I knew, I had furry blue elf attached to me." Rogue smacked his shoulder playfully " Smart ass, you know damn well what I was asking. And not that I'm complaining, but how did you know about my Twinkie addiction and why did you buy these for me?". "Well.." He began, an impish smile tugging at the corners of his lips, however he took note of the earnest expression on her face and knew that she'd kill him if he gave another smart assed answer " First things first, how I knew you had an addiction to Twinkies. That was a fairly simple matter of observation, beautiful. When we would eat lunch together at school, I noticed that fairly frequently you'd have a package of Twinkies in your bag for dessert" * Oh my god * Rogue thought * He paid that much attention to me? He remembers something as insignificant as what Ah'd have for dessert? Maybe it is possible that he could like me as more than a friend * She tried hard to keep the hope out of her eyes and to focus on what he was saying, " And as to why I bought these for you." Scott sighed, gathering his courage before plunging on " I guess it was because I was feeling more than a little guilty about earlier. I think that I went a little too far in teasing you about what you read. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let things get that out of control. After all, it's absolutely none of my business as to what you read. Though, if you like things that graphic, I believe Logan has a subscription to Penthouse, you can have pictures with your words" * Then again, maybe he doesn't like me like that after all. Is he sorry for trying to kiss me..or because he didn't? * Dejected, Rogue plastered on a smile, thankful for his attempt at humor because it helped her to hide what she'd been thinking.  
  
" Actually Scott, Ah know about Logan's Penthouse subscription, and Ah prefer to use my imagination." She trailed off with a seductive wink, enjoying the shocked expression on his face. * Does she ever imagine me.us.no must not think about that * he quickly shut the thought down before he embarrassed himself by blushing like a fool. Scott bent over quickly reaching into the bag containing the dozen roses he'd bought and snatched the price tag off the bouquet, stuffing it into the pocket with Kimmy's phone number before standing up, hiding the roses behind his back. " As they say on infomercials," he said with a smile that made Rogue weak in the knees, " but wait, there's more!". With a flourish, he pulled the flowers from behind his back and set them in her hands. Shocked, Rogue just stared down at the gorgeous mix of red and pink roses in her hands, unsure of what to say * Pink and Red..attraction and .love? Could he be in love with me? Arg! Summers, you and these mixed signals of yours are going to drive me insane* " So, you're buying my silence with Twinkies and roses, Scott? What makes you think I'm just going to forgive you for earlier?" She asked, sounding harsher than she intended * Especially when I wanted you to kiss me, not for you to be sorry for almost kissing me *. Scott lowered his head slightly " I wasn't actually trying to buy you off with Twinkies Rogue, I was just teasing you. And the roses aren't actually part of that. I believe it's customary for a guy to bring a girl roses or some flowers in general on a date, especially on their first date." " I knew you were teasing Scott and don't worry, you don't mention my choice of reading material to anyone, no one finds out about your kitchen dance party.." She trailed off and her eyes widened in shock as what he'd said registered fully in her brain. * Date? Oh my god!! He said date.as in romance.interest..more than friends! * Her heart was leaping for joy, which was reflected in the incredible smile lighting her face and eliminating any doubts in Scott's mind as to whether or not she felt anything for him. Yet he couldn't bring himself to say those three words that expressed how he felt for her * Later * he promised himself * I've waited too long already, but I just can't say it right now. After dinner I'll tell her.yes.after dinner* Rogue giggled suddenly, " While I agree that it's customary for a guy to bring a girl he likes flowers on their first date; it's also customary for him to give them to her when he picks her up at the start of the date". Scott stared at her for a moment as if she'd lost her mind " Rogue, we live in the same building. We're the only ones here for the next week and a half. What am I supposed to do, ring my own door bell and let myself in to wait for you? She grinned, considering the idea, absurd though it was " No Rogue". "Spoil sport" she muttered. "Psycho" he replied.  
  
Coming back down to earth, Rogue smiled almost shyly, melting Scott's heart with the innocence held in that look, and looked around the kitchen. " So, what can I do to help with dinner, Mr. World Famous chef? And don't you dare tell me that there's nothing you need me to do. You've done all this for me, the least you can do is let me help a little." Scott smiled in resignation, knowing there was no way he'd talk her out of helping. " Ok, you can find something to put those in, and then maybe start slicing the mushrooms for the salad?". "Sure thing sugah" Rogue smiled and began to search for a vase for the flowers. Scott in the meantime had opened the fridge to retrieve the chicken breasts and seeing an onion sitting unclaimed in the crisper, decided to grab that too. " You don't have any problems with onion do you Rogue? He asked, tossing the onion onto the island beside the mushrooms. "Nah, I love onion" setting the roses in a vase she'd found under the sink, Rogue returned to the island and began the task of chopping mushrooms. In the meantime Scott had set a small pot on the stove and opened the cans of tomato paste into it, setting it on a low temperature to simmer before placing a pan beside it and pouring a bit of oil into it in preparation for the chicken. " Do ya mind if I turn up the radio?" Rogue asked. " Not at all, go right ahead" he answered.  
  
Turning up the radio, Rogue retuned to chopping the mushrooms. The DJ came on loud and clear " This is Rocking Rick on WKBVL, radio Bayville, with the best of the '80s, '90s. and today. Up next we have a "Family Portrait" by Pink and "I Swear" from our vaults by All4One. But first these messages from our sponsors" A few pointless commercials passed, nothing that either Scott of Rogue paid any attention to as they went about their tasks. It caught Rogue off guard when the radio came back with "Family Portrait", she quickly finished off the mushrooms and grabbed the onion, slicing into it quickly to hide the tears that listening to the song about a dysfunctional family brought to her eyes. For Rogue, it hit just a little too close to home. The only woman she had considered to be her mother had turned out to be just a keeper until she could be used as a weapon by Mystique and Magneto. She didn't even want to consider how often Mystique had used her, manipulating her with lies about caring. Uncaring, Rogue let the tears fall freely as she sliced the onion, lost in the lyrics of the song. At the oven, Scott dipped a couple of chicken breasts in flour and bread crumbs before setting them in the oil and turning on the timer on the stove for about seven minutes. He turned to see how Rogue was doing with the vegetables when he heard a sniffle and saw her hand go up to her face. Even with her back to him Scott could tell that she was crying. Instinctively he went to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against his chest. " Hey, you ok?" he asked. " Fine, it's just this onion," she lied quickly, snuggling contentedly against his chest and sighing at the contact. " Well, if you want, I can take over here for you" he suggested. Rogue turned in his arms, draping hers around his neck and smiling " And concede victory to a vegetable? My friend, I have not yet begun to slice!"  
  
Scott smiled in return, trying not to focus on how wonderful it felt to hold her like this; how beautiful she was, and how he was rapidly falling more deeply in love with her. " It looks like you've got some good slices going already on that onion," he said, " mind if I steal what you have there for the sauce?". "I see how it is, " Rogue teased, " you don't want to be the one crying over the onion, but you want to benefit from my hard work. Fine, go ahead." Scott smiled and was about to let her go when "I Swear" by All4One began to play over the radio. Impulsively, he tightened his hold on Rogue's waist and started swaying with her to the slow romantic beat. Despite how nice it felt to be in Scott's arms, Rogue couldn't help but give him a hard time. " And just what do you think you're doing?" " Showing off dance moves that I wouldn't mind you remembering" he replied with a smile. Rogue chuckled softly, laying her head on his shoulder * Like I could ever forget this *. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, and yet not long enough, as the song played on lost in their own thoughts. Slowly they pulled back and gazed into each other's eyes as the song died off, as one their heads moved ever so slightly closer * Ok, no turning back now * Scott thought * Just kiss her.go with it * * One moment couldn't hurt * Rogue thought * Not long enough to steal anything.just to know how it feels to give in to my heart.just once..* As their lips were about to touch in the kiss they both longed for, the timer on the stove went off, surprisingly loud in the silence of the kitchen and they jumped back, laughing nervously.  
  
"Do you think the Professor would mind terribly if I blasted that damn thing?" Scott smiled, flashing her a quick wink. * If you don't, Ah'll steal your power and do it myself* Rogue thought, glaring at the offending device " Ah think he'd mind just a little. Ya know, with control of our powers being one of the things we're supposed to learn here. Now.if I were to trip you, and your glasses slipped off." she suggested with a playful grin. Scott laughed " Then we'd both be in trouble. Probably best to leave it be". Walking over to the stove he checked on the chicken breast, before flipping them over to cook on the other side and resetting the timer. " Shouldn't be too long on the chicken. How's the salad coming?" " Done" Rogue said happily, displaying the salad she'd hastily thrown together, and much to Scott's surprise, she'd even added the black olives and carrots to the bowl with lettuce, mushrooms and onions. " Impressive," he said " I didn't even hear you move on to the lettuce or carrots". " It comes from sneaking up on a certain someone," she teased, " I've learned to be a lot more quiet today alone". Scooping up the onion slices she hadn't used for the salad, Rogue walked over to the stove and sprinkled them into the tomato paste, stirring them in with a wooden spoon that had been set on the island. " Smells wonderful" she remarked "Thanks" Scott smiled, starting a pot of water to boil for the pasta. " I know I'm supposed to be the one cooking here, " he began, " but would you mind popping the noodles into the water when it starts boiling and taking the chicken off the heat when the timer goes off? I feel surprisingly undress..err.underdressed next to you. I think I'll go put on something a little nicer than this" he blushed at his slip of the tongue as he indicated the tank top and shorts he was still wearing." Go ahead sugah," Rogue smiled, " though I think you look fine just the way you are.undressed and all." She grinned evilly as Scott blushed more furiously. " I'll be back down in a few minutes" he said, turning to leave. On a sudden impulse, he grabbed her gloved hand and turned it palm up, laying a gentle kiss on the center of her palm, " Don't miss me too much beautiful". With that he headed out the door, reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out the price tag for the roses and Kimmy's phone number and tossing both into the trash can as he passed. Rogue sighed, making sure he was gone before pressing her palm against her heart * Don't miss him too much? Why not ask me to stop the sun from shining? That'd be a lot easier* 


	5. A kiss is just a kiss?

Losing Control And Finding Your Heart Chapter 5: A kiss is just a kiss?  
  
Disclaimer: Standard stuff applies here. I don't own Evolution, it owns me. Please don't sue.I have two frustrated mutant teens who'll be very.shall we say, upset, if they don't get some action soon.  
  
Dedication: to the woman who taught me that I could touch others when she touched my heart. I love you!  
  
Special Thanks : to my reviewers; who've turned what at first seemed like an intriguing idea into a true labor of love. You guys are just plain awesome!!  
  
We now return to our regularly scheduled fic...  
  
Scott Summers' normally immaculate bedroom was a disaster area; random clothes were piled on the bed, or floor, wherever they happened to land as they flew out of the closet, discarded by the suddenly very nervous X-Man for one reason or another. " I can't believe I let Kurt talk me into buying this thing," he exclaimed, hurling a garish orange and green tiger print shirt out of the closet and onto the growing pile, " That's the last time I go shopping with him after getting a head injury in battle." From the moment he'd entered his bedroom, almost five minutes ago, he'd been searching for just the right ensemble to impress Rogue. As it was, all he'd managed to do was strip down to his boxers and throw almost everything out of his closet. * Maybe I should just go down like this, somehow I can't imagine Rogue minding that too much. Hmmmm..maybe I could convince her we should wear matching outfits in that case.* Despite his nervousness he grinned * Nah.she's obviously made a major effort to look nice for tonight; not that she doesn't normally. * As he continued to search for the perfect outfit, he turned that fact over in his head, she'd come down stairs completely made over, even though he hadn't suggested that dinner was anything more than just a couple of friends hanging out like they'd done many times before. Was it possible that she'd developed feelings for him even before he was aware of how he felt about her? She'd never displayed any of the signs that other girls at school, or even some of the younger girls at the institute had. * Or maybe she's just better at hiding her feelings than some people are * he mused, pulling a pair of tan khakis off of their hanger and holding them up against his legs * These should work pretty well. Not too dressy, no obvious rips or holes anywhere, they're clean..alright, I've got the pants taken care of, but what about the shirt? * he climbed into the pants and glanced back into the closet, surveying the few items left on hangers as his thoughts drifted back to the southern belle he'd left in the kitchen. * Should I go for the long sleeve look like she did, or short sleeve? Maybe she'd get the idea that I'm not afraid of her getting close. In fact, I'd rather like her to get close* His mind made up, Scott pushed the remaining long sleeved items together at the far end of the closet, ignoring them entirely. * But does she want to get close to me? * He sighed, despite their joking about the buzzer interrupting the moment, it had in actuality probably spared them from issues that neither wanted to face * Could she accept a relationship where there could be no serious physical intimacy? Can I? * The thought gave him pause for a moment. He didn't know if Rogue would really settle for a relationship where physical contact was limited to outside of the clothes or only brief, light touches. For him, there was no choice at all, he was madly in love with Rogue for who she was, not for what she could or couldn't do. * I should let her know that * he decided Scott glanced at his watch and cursed violently as he noted he'd left her almost fifteen minutes ago " Oh man, she's going to kill me," he muttered. He was about to go to the bed and search through the rejected pile again when a dark red, almost maroon, short sleeved polo shirt caught his eye. * Perfect! * he grabbed the shirt and quickly pulled it on, careful to avoid knocking off his glasses, and tucked the end into his pants. Turning back to the closet, he checked out his reflection in the full length mirror on the back of one of the doors. * Not bad Summers* he decided, * not too bad at all. * Glancing back at the almost destroyed room he chuckled nervously " Guess I can't tease Kitty about how she gets ready for dates anymore." Despite how long he'd already kept Rogue waiting for him, Scott couldn't bring himself to leave the room. Walking over to his window, he opened it and took a deep breath, letting the warm spring night air wash over him and looking up at the beautifully full moon overhead. * Why am I so nervous? It's just Rogue. *. That was the problem of course, it was just Rogue, the woman he was in love with. He didn't want to do or say anything that would ruin their friendship if it turned out that she didn't have any romantic interest in him after tonight; the thought that something he did or said could drive her to remove herself completely from his life terrified him beyond words. On the other hand, what if she did want him romantically? What did she expect was going to happen tonight? What did he expect for that matter? * I don't know, I just don't know* he thought * well, except I can probably expect her to kill me if I keep her waiting much longer*. With a last look out the window, he headed for the door, carefully avoiding the mess that his room had become. A sudden idea seized him as he exited * I hope a couple minutes more won't be the difference between life and death * he thought with a smile as he made a slight detour away from the stairs.  
  
Rogue was bored. * No * she considered, drumming her fingers on the island * Ah'm more than bored. Bored would be an improvement. Ah'm just shy of pissed. He'd better have a damn good reason for keeping me waiting" It'd been just over twenty minutes since Scott had left her to take care of the last little details of cooking so he could change into nicer clothes. In that time, the noodles had completely cooked and she'd even gone to the trouble of fixing their plates and two bowls of salad. * Ah'm just glad Ah didn't put any dressing on it yet, it'd be fairly gross by now". The thought of dressing brought her mind back to her missing dinner companion,* My dinner date * she thought giddily * Ah have a date with Scott*. Had anyone seen her at that moment, it was doubtful they'd recognize her as the angry girl she usually was. A blissful smile had spread across her face as she walked over to the vase of roses, inhaling their sweet fragrance. Glancing at the clock above the stove she decided to go looking for him in two minutes if he didn't show up on his own; and if she had to look for him, god help him when she found him. *Maybe I should go now * she thought evilly * maybe he needs help dressing..maybe he's nak.* Rogue quickly shunted the thought away as she felt a flush color her cheeks * The last thing that Ah need to be thinking about is a naked Scott Summers, especially before going on a date with him * Not that the thought would be an original one in her head. *One more minute * She thought glancing at the clock. Suddenly she felt very nervous * What if he's changed his mind? What if this was just some cruel joke? After all, who'd want a girl that they couldn't touch. Especially when they had so many who could touch them, hold them close without hurting them, willing to go out in a heartbeat * Rogue wasn't blind, she'd seen the looks that other girls sent in Scott's direction. Looks that he had never seemed to pick up on. And yet, those looks were part of the reason she didn't let him see how much she cared, she didn't want him to think of her as just another vacuous airhead who wanted a trophy boyfriend * Like Jean * she thought evilly, a smile curving her lips nonetheless. " It's not a joke," she told herself " Scott's not the kind of guy who'd do that to me. He's not like everyone else. He's..different" But what did he want from her? He'd been flirting all day, something she'd never seen him do before; calling her beautiful, kissing her palm, what did it all mean? She sighed, thinking about their second near kiss and the damn buzzer that'd broken the moment. Would it have been so awful to know just once what it was like to kiss him? Her "gift" be damned, why shouldn't she be allowed to love just because she was a mutant? She'd been working with the Professor to try to find a way to control her abilities, but as of yet, they'd had no luck, leaving them both frustrated. Him at his lack of ability to help her, and her at the cruel twist of genetics that had ruined her life. She glanced at the clock again, shaking the dark thoughts from her mind * Time's up Scott, Ah hope you've enjoyed life so far, cause yours is going to end when Ah get my hands on you*. Pushing herself off of the counter and towards the door, Rogue tried to ignore the thought that popped back into her head * Maybe he's naked..*  
  
Scott was sweating bullets. His detour had taken a little longer than he had originally planned, as he'd scurried around the mansion's upper level looking for the supplies he needed, ten minutes longer than he'd planned in fact. * Good going Summers * he thought, heading back for the stairs to the main level, * you've probably ruined the evening for Rogue, and on top of that, she's going to kill you for making her wait*. As if on cue, Rogue appeared at the bottom of the stairs just as he reached the top. They stood there for a moment, staring at the other in something akin to shock, taking in the view. Rogue, unsurprisingly, was the first to break the silence " Ya know Scott, traditionally it's the girl who's supposed to make the boy wait. We're going to have to have a talk about your breaking well established dating traditions." she smiled, giving him an approving once over, maybe a twice over if she were honest with herself, " At least you made the wait worth it". Scott smiled, relief washing over him, " So, you're not mad at me?" " Hell yes, Ah'm pissed at you Scott, and Ah'm starving to boot. Ah presume you have a good reason for taking over half an hour to find clothes? Ah almost came up to help your slow ass get dressed". Starting down the stairs he smiled mischievously, " Yes I have a good reason for making you wait my dear Rogue. And who knows, if you play your cards right, maybe I'll let you help me undress later" his words had their intended effect as she smiled and blushed, making her seem even more lovely in his opinion. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he offered her his arm with a smile, " Shall we?". Rogue returned his smile, feeling slightly like a princess in a fairy tale as she hooked her arm through his. " Ah got the plates and salads all ready while you were taking your sweet time up there," she said. "Great! I'll grab them in a minute..but first, close your eyes Rogue". Curious, and slightly suspicious of some prank in the offing she asked, " Why; Ah've seen the dinning room before Scott?" " Trust me" he replied, smiling * With my heart * she thought nodding that she did and closing her eyes.  
  
Scott slowly lead Rogue through the main level of the mansion to one of the back doors before releasing her arm, " I'll be right back, I promise" he whispered against her ear, sending shivers down her spine. " You'd better be" She said, slightly threateningly. That was all the encouragement Scott needed to run back up the stairs, picking up the bag of supplies he'd hidden in his room and race back down to her. " Was that fast enough for you?" he panted, slightly out of breath. Rogue grinned, " So you pride yourself on being fast? That doesn't translate into other areas does it?" Taking her arm once again, he laughed, fighting the urge to blush. " Dirty minded woman" " Only sometimes. Can I open my eyes yet?" "Nope". Scott opened the back door and walked her out into the warm night air, leading her back to the spot he'd seen from his bedroom window and released her arm. " Just a couple more moments and you can open them Rogue" She nodded, wondering just what the hell being outside had to do with dinner. Scott reached into the bag of supplies and pulled out a large dark blanket, spreading it out on the ground. He then pulled an antique looking candelabra from the bag, setting it on the center of the blanket and lighting the five candles in its arms * Xavier would kill me if he knew I was using this candelabra* he thought with a quick glance at Rogue, the gentle breeze blowing her hair across her cheeks * Of course, it would be worth dying for* " You can open your eyes now sweetie". * We're going to have to work on this whole pet name thing he's on* Rogue thought, slowly opening her eyes. A startled gasp escaped her lips as she saw just what Scott had been up to.a candle light picnic under the stars." Scott.this is just .." She trailed off, unable to find the words to describe how perfect she thought it was. He grinned, " Sorry, the matches were pretty well hidden upstairs. Am I forgiven for taking so long yet?" Silently she nodded. "I'll be right back with dinner then," he smiled, heading back into the mansion.  
  
Rogue sat down quickly before her knees could give out and looked up at the stars, wondering once again just what was up with Scott. She'd had no idea that he could be this romantic, especially towards her. It almost seemed too good to be true. " Penny for your thoughts" his voice came from behind her." Wondering where the hell you were with food slow ass" she smiled as he set a bowl of salad in front of her as well as a plate of chicken parmesan. He set his plates down directly across from her and took a seat, smiling * She looks so happy..maybe I should tell her now * "Rogue?" " Yes" "Two things: one, you don't have to wear those" reaching over, he quickly pulled off her ever present gloves before she could protest I trust you; And two I'm not responsible for any food poisoning that occurs" he teased * Coward *he chided himself. Rogue looked down at her uncovered hands in shock, no one had been comfortable with her hands being exposed ever since she'd manifested her powers, least of all herself, and yet here with Scott she felt like it was the most natural thing in the world. They passed the meal in a comfortable silence, each wondering exactly how to tell the other what they felt, stealing occasional glances and looking away before they could get caught. For the time being, they were just Rogue and Scott, two teenagers who had found love, not the mutant heroes Rogue and Cyclops, who had saved the world on multiple occasions. As far as either was concerned, the only world that was worth saving existed in the other's eyes.  
  
" Mmmm.that was wonderful Scott," Rogue said, settling her arms behind her and leaning back to gaze up at the stars. " I can't take all the credit for that, your salad was great" he replied, crawling over behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled, snuggling back against him and leaning her head on his shoulder. " Make a wish" she whispered "Hmmm?" Scott asked; caught up in the sensation of her body against his, he hadn't quite caught what she said. " Make a wish, you know.on a star" " You mean having you in my arms isn't enough?" he asked, smiling. Rogue blushed, carefully reaching back to caress his side with her bare hand. " Come on Scott, just make a wish" " You first" " Ah already did, and no, Ah won't tell unless you make one too: Scott grinned, " You know me too well", giving her a little squeeze with his arms, Scott picked out a star and made a silent wish. " Ok" he said, " now what did you wish for?" " For tonight to never end," she said shyly, closing her eyes and resting against him " Your turn." Scott sighed " To be able to control my powers so I could look at you without this constant red tinge". Rogue roughly pushed away from him suddenly, grabbing her gloves off the blanket and pulling them on. " You think you have it so bad Scott? At least you can see, and touch, and do a hundred things Ah can't without worrying that you'll hurt anyone. And control? What do you call your visor and glasses, huh? Cause Ah don't see you blowing holes in everything around you. You know, Ah thought you were different Scott, but you're just like every other guy. It's all about you. Ah thought that maybe, just maybe you cared about me.Ah guess Ah was wrong. Goodbye Scott" Her eyes glistening with unshed tears Rogue stood up and began walking briskly back towards the mansion * Ah will not let him see me cry. Ah will not let him see me cry*  
  
Scott quickly pushed himself to his feet and took off after her * Wonderful Summers, open mouth insert both feet * " Rogue, wait!" " Can it Summers, Ah don't want to hear it" She snapped. "Please". Rogue didn't want to stop because she knew if she did, she'd cry, she'd let him know just how her heart was breaking, but that one word, uttered so hopelessly stopped her dead in her tracks. " You want to know what I call my glasses and visor?" he asked, walking around to face her, his heart on the verge of breaking as he saw the pain reflected in her eyes " I call them barriers. Just like your clothes and gloves. Just like both of our attitudes, we keep people back to keep from hurting them. Mutant powers aren't the only powers in our lives Rogue, words have power too. When people look at us do they see Scott and Rogue? No, they see the fearless leader and the anti-social goth girl, and that's who we become to keep people from knowing who we really are. But that's not who we have to be. Rogue, there's something I have to tell you.and it isn't easy for me to say because I've never said it before.I'm terrified of it really.Rogue, I love you. I love you for you, not for what you can or cannot do". Rogue didn't realize that she was crying until she saw the tears rolling down Scott's cheeks from under his glasses, and hers reflected in those glasses. She'd longed to hear someone tell her that for so long that she couldn't believe that someone like Scott was the one to say it to her. " You know what I really wish? " she asked, her voice rough with tears she tried to hold back " That you actually meant that Scott. It's sweet, but who could possibly love someone they couldn't touch, and who couldn't touch them?" She tried to go around him once more, to get to the safety of the mansion when she was stopped by a hand on her arm. " I could Rogue," he answered honestly, " I do. And you have touched me; you touched in a way that no one else ever has," he took her gloved hand and placed it against his chest, " you touched my heart". With her hand still resting against his chest, Scott leaned his head in towards hers, capturing her lips with his. Startled, Rogue wrapped her arms around him, drawing him more deeply into the kiss; she knew that she should let go, push him away before she hurt him but she just didn't care anymore * Ah'm sick of being in control all the time. Ah want this *. Scott felt the familiar tingle of his powers and consciousness being drawn into Rogue as he kissed her deeply, unworried about the consequences * Fuck the consequences * he thought * I love her!* As he slumped against her, unconscious, Rogue plucked his glasses from his face and put them on to contain his power and settled down onto the grass, crying openly. The tears were those of joy however, as she could feel the truth of Scott's declaration * He loves me * she thought, running a gloved hand softly through his hair * He risked his life to let me know that it really is love *. Her hand gently traced the line of his jaw as she looked down at his prone form " Ah love you too Scott" she whispered smiling. 


	6. The Enemy Within

Losing Control And Finding Your Heart Chapter 6: The Enemy Within  
  
Disclaimer: Ok.say it with me now.I don't own X-Men Evolution. Rogue and Scott have just moved into my brain because I'm nicer to them than the real writers of the show. Oh, with Scott unconscious, anytime you see / / with text between them, it's Rogue experiencing his thoughts/memories.  
  
Dedication: to the woman who gives me the strength to fight my own demons, both literal and metaphorical. I love you.  
  
Special Thanks: as usual to my wonderfully supportive reviewers. I can't thank you guys enough for all the nice things you've said.  
  
And now ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages (old enough to deal with an R rating *wink * ) let's get ready to rumble!  
  
Rogue sat on the lawn, holding Scott's prone form in her lap for five minutes, just memorizing the his face without his glasses and running her gloved fingers through his fine brown hair, still reeling from the raw emotion behind his declaration of love. She considered lugging him to the med center in the basement to make sure he was alright, but placing a hand over his heart she detected a strong steady beat and his breathing seemed to be regular. * Screw the med center. Ah've absorbed enough people by now to know that at most he'll be out for a couple of hours and wake up with one hell of a headache. It's not like he's not breathing or has no pulse * She thought. Plus, a trip to the med center, full of machinery she couldn't identify and wouldn't know how to hook up if she could, would mean calling Hank in Argentina to ask for help, in turn leading to a discussion about why Scott was unconscious. * Ah'm just not ready to tell anyone about that yet. Heck, Ah have to wait on him to wake up to tell him that I love him. There's no way that anyone else gets to find out about that before he does. * Her mind made up, she shifted Scott to the ground gently for a moment so she could stand. Bending at the waist, she lifted her unconscious love and unceremoniously slung him over her shoulder, thankful that Scott was a bit stronger than she was naturally, otherwise it'd have been a pain to carry him like that. With a smile, she began walking back towards the mansion * God, why don't Ah ever have a camera when Ah need it? * She was halfway to the back door when an urgent thought flashed across her mind about taking the candelabra back in after dinner. /She could see Scott picking the lock on the silver cabinet and carefully removing it and placing it in his bag before heading back to the stairs/. * You're lucky Ah love you Summers, cause even unconscious you can be a pain in my ass* However as she walked back to retrieve the antique candelabra, she had to admit a grudging respect for the man on her shoulder. * Never would have thought he had the guts to even try to pick a lock, let alone know how to.* She hefted the beautifully crafted candelabra in her free hand and once again headed back to the mansion. * Ah guess it's just one of those little things Ah'm going to learn about him. Ah just hope Ah won't have to do all my learning by him knocking himself out to kiss me * She grinned at the thought, * Then again, he is one hell of a kisser. There are worse ways Ah could learn about him*. Arriving on the back porch of the mansion, Rogue set the candelabra down momentarily and opened the door before picking it back up and heading inside. * First things first. Ah'll get Scott comfortable somewhere then Ah'll put this back where it belongs. But where would he be most comfortable? * She briefly considered taking him up to his room when another memory flashed across her mind / a ton of clothes flying out of the closet and landing on the bed and floor. Scott standing in just his boxers../ She quickly shut her mind to the image, a blush appearing on her cheeks. * Damn, Ah should have gone up there sooner. Ok, so his room is out of the question. Although Ah may do him a favor and destroy that ugly green and orange tiger thing while Ah have his powers. But where should Ah leave him? * A slow grin spread across her face as she realized somewhere she could leave him where they'd both be comfortable.  
  
Rogue gently laid Scott down on her bed and stretched her arms up over her head. Even with the strength boost she'd gotten from him, it still made her a little sore carrying dead weight up the stairs and down the hall. Stepping back from the bed she felt her heart tighten in her chest as she looked at him laying in her bed. How many times had she fantasized about this very moment? * Ok..so in my fantasies we both had a lot less clothing on, and we were both conscious, but this is a start* she smiled and leaned over, kissing the top of his head lightly before picking up the candelabra from her night stand where she'd set it so she'd have both hands free to put Scott on her bed. Walking out of the room to the silver cabinet, she wondered briefly what the hell Scott had used to pick the lock in the first place, and why the hell had he relocked the damn thing after taking the candelabra. When no memory came to her on it's own, she closed her eyes and concentrated, drawing Scott's memories to the fore of her mind./ She could see a thin, short piece of metal in Scott's hand, with a flattened head, almost like a tiny screwdriver, as he slid it into the lock, wiggling it until with a distinctive click the door popped open. The reverse movement relocked the cabinet and he put the lock picking tool into his front pocket before going back to the stairs./ * My god, Ah'm gonna have to get it out of there? * she thought incredulously * Is there some vast universal conspiracy to tempt me with things Ah can't have?* She briefly considered removing his glasses and just blasting the lock open * Nah, that might be just a little too obvious* With an exasperated sigh, she set the candelabra down by the cabinet and walked back to her room and the unconscious man on her bed. Carefully she knelt by the bed and slipped her hand into his left pocket. His surprisingly empty left pocket. * Wrong pocket! * blushing furiously she tried again, this time reaching into his right pocket and slowly pulling out the lock picking tool. Relieved, she practically ran back to the silver cabinet, trying very hard not to think of how close to certain body parts her hand had just been. *Alright, Ah just have to focus, how'd he do this again? * her brow furrowed in concentration, she slid the tool into the lock, carefully wiggling it until she felt the lock pop and the door crack open a bit. Smiling, she put the candelabra back into the cabinet and relocked it. * It was romantic as hell Scott, but that damn thing was almost more trouble than it was worth *. Almost of it's own volition, her hand gently went back to her lips as she regarded the silver cabinet and its contents * Alright, it was more than worth it that he took such pains to be a romantic* With a smile she walked back to her bedroom and her love.  
  
Climbing onto her bed, Rogue wondered what the best position would be for her to be in when he eventually woke up. Even though nothing sexual had happened, she suspected strongly that Scott would freak out just a little on waking up if she were curled up around him or laying on top of him * Might be worth it to see his face * she thought evilly. Evil thoughts aside, she realized that they'd crossed a threshold tonight, and now the lines would be even more blurred. Sighing, she leaned back against the headboard, crossing her legs and pulling Scott's head into her lap, gently running her fingers through his hair as if that would unlock the answer to all of the problems ahead of them. * What about when he wants something sexual to happen? What about when Ah do? * she wondered. Could their relationship really survive after a point with no physical intimacy. * Ah don't think he's some kind of sex fiend, and neither am Ah.but sex is still a big part of relationships" she thought despondently. " What am Ah gonna do with you handsome?" she asked the unconscious man. Looking down at him, his face completely relaxed and untroubled as if he were simply sleeping and not in something akin to a coma, she felt her despondency harden into resolve to find a way to control her powers; for the sake of their relationship, but also more importantly, for herself. Glancing at her alarm clock she saw that it had been just a little over fifteen minutes since Scott had lost consciousness. * Ah've got at least an hour and forty-five minutes before he wakes up. Ah should make the most of it*. With one final glance at Scott, she closed her eyes and began one of the meditation exercises the Professor had taught her, hoping that this time things would be different.  
  
It was dark in her subconscious, of course it normally was without the Professor there to help her " turn on the lights" such as they were, and yet she could see everything clearly, if there was a slightly red tinge to her vision. With a start she realized that even in her subconscious mind she possessed Scott's power; reaching up she could feel his sunglasses still in place on her face and she smiled, it was somehow comforting to know that he was still with her in some form. Glancing around she could see the familiar cages she had once kept the psyches of those she absorbed locked away in, each with the owner's name distinctly printed on a placard in front of each. She'd come to think of her mind as a prison for them until the Professor had convinced her to let the psyches out of the cages for their sake and hers. They weren't gone by a long shot, just relocated. During their first session together, the Professor had explained that the reason the psyches were able to make her feel she was losing control was because of the cages. In locking the memories and experiences of those she'd absorbed away, she was fighting her own power, and in essence, fighting herself. The psyches, particularly those of cunning and manipulative people like Magneto and Mystique, were able to take advantage of her fighting herself to exercise more control over her own psyche. Over the next few sessions they had worked together to help her more fully absorb the experiences into herself, storing them in what she had dubbed a mental filing cabinet. Surprisingly, it was easier to ignore the psyches when they had been filed away, literally, and she had found that she could even reopen the files when she needed to if she concentrated hard enough, without losing any control. It was almost as if the psyches had calmed down because they were occasionally brought out. Those with pertinent information, or recently absorbed, were the thickest files, and those absorbed years ago, or without any useful information for her were usually no more than a "page" in length.  
  
Walking to her mental filing cabinet Rogue couldn't resist opening the drawer marked " S" and pulling Scott's "file". Opening it she was overcome by the force of his love and his memories. /She saw Scott staring at her longingly in drama class..his concern for her the night she had come to him in just her night gown and gloves.his shock and attraction to her when he saw her in the hot tub..his realization that he loved her in the Fresh Stop parking lot../ Reluctantly she closed the file, putting it back in its spot in the drawer and closing it before moving on to the "R" drawer. It was a puzzle to both herself and the Professor that in all of their sessions, they had never found a file on Rogue herself. It was almost as if some part of her own psyche was missing, or perhaps locked away somewhere. Despite multiple searches, both with the Professor and on her own, she still hadn't found it, and she was convinced that finding that file would provide her with the key to controlling her powers. *If it can be found at all * she mused, pulling the drawer out and sitting down on the floor, flipping through the files in alphabetical order until she got to where hers should have been. * Ah guess it was a little much to hope that Scott declaring his love for me would make it magically appear * she sighed * After all, my life is a Shakespearean tragedy, not a fairy tale *. Determined to find the blasted file if it took until Scott's power drained from her and he woke up, she began systematically going through each and every drawer, however it was no use. Her own file just didn't exist it seemed. " No!" she screamed, slamming her fist into the gutted filing cabinet " It's not fair! Ah was just born this way.Ah didn't ask to be a mutant.Ah just want to be loved. Is that so much to ask?" Slumping against the cabinet, she let her tears flow, resting her head in her arms. She was about to end the meditation, when she heard a voice coming from behind her. " What ever is the matter dear child? * Ah know that voice * She quickly spun around, rising to her feet in one smooth motion to face the speaker, Raven Darkholme; Mystique.  
  
Standing not five feet from her was a slender, dark haired, cruel faced woman, smirking as if she knew all the answers to Rogue's questions and had no intention of telling what they were. Which in all likelihood was the truth, as in her hands was a moderately thick file. Without even seeing the name on it Rogue knew it was hers " What're you doing out of your drawer skank? And what the hell are you doing with my file?" Rogue growled, taking a step towards the other woman. Darkholme's smile only widened at her reaction, " What language! Is that anyway to talk to your elders? As to what am I doing out?" she laughed coldly, " What makes you think I was ever in your precious little filing cabinet to begin with? All I had to do was lay low like a good little girl and you and that fool Xavier thought you had me under control. And why wouldn't I have this file? After all, I was your principal. It's only fitting that I should have your permanent record in my possession." " Give it back bitch, and Ah mean now!" Rogue advanced on the manipulative shape shifter, her hands balling instinctively into fists. Unconcerned, Mystique stepped back, shifting into her true blue skinned form, idly leafing through the file in her hands, " Why on earth would you want it? It's a rather dull read. I'd say it was almost Dickinson in the wretchedness of the protagonist's life, but that would be an insult to Dickens" as she continued to back up, the landscape of Rogue's mind underwent a transformation of its own until it resembled the cemetery she had fled to the night her powers had manifested in full. " Oh, I know..it's young mister Summers, isn't it? You still think he'd want a pathetic excuse for a mutant like yourself. How could he? You can't even touch him." She grinned, shape shifting to look like Jean " I however, can.". Rogue could feel her rage boiling up inside of her as all her private fears about her and Scott were laid bare. " You know it. Admit it Rogue, you're not good enough for Scott, you never will be. In fact, I'd be doing you a favor if I were to destroy this pesky file". Rogue stopped dead in her tracks, " No!" " How could I not help a fellow teammate?" "Jean" asked with a twisted smile as she pulled a lighter out of her pocket and flicked it on. Horrified, Rogue found herself unable to move as "Jean" touched the flame to the file with a patently insincere " Oops".  
  
As the fire consumed her file, Rogue felt something snap inside of her. With a scream of pure rage, pain and frustration, she closed the distance between herself and "Jean" swinging a savage punch that miraculously caught the shape shifter off guard and rocked her back into a tombstone, splitting "Jean's" lip with the force of the blow. Mystique smiled, licking the blood away as she shifted back into her true form. " Is that the best you can do? Now I know why I left you with Irene all those years. I'd be embarrassed to call you my daughter. You punch like a girl.". Rogue swung at the shape shifter again, but this time Mystique was prepared and easily back flipped away from the attack. " Really, trying to fight in that ridiculous skirt. What next? Running away from an axe murderer in high heels?" Mystique sneered, closing quickly and snapping Rogue's head back with a well placed kick " Observe the freedom of an outfit with nice long slits up the leg. Oh wait, I guess you couldn't wear something like this. You'd be too afraid of hurting someone accidentally". Another powerful kick caught Rogue in her chest, knocking her over a headstone, almost knocking Scott's glasses from her face as she hit the ground. * Ah've got to do something * she thought desperately. When she stood again, she was shocked to find her skirt and turtle neck gone, replaced by her own X-Men uniform * How on earth did Ah do that? * she wondered. Unfortunately, Mystique wasn't about to let her experiment to find out. Standing on the top of a mausoleum behind Rogue, she dove off, driving both of her feet into her daughter's spine.  
  
Rogue bit back a scream, not wanting to give Mystique the satisfaction of knowing how much that had hurt. " Alright bitch, my turn!" she snarled. Quickly, vaulting a headstone, she slammed both feet into Mystique's face and pushed off of it with her arms, sending her body weight through the motion, driving Mystique's head into the ground and bounding off. " How'd you like that little move, mama?" Rogue asked, sarcasm dripping from every word " Ah mean, Ah could do it again if you think Ah need the practice." " You pathetic little bitch" Mystique wheezed, her nose obviously shattered, " You're going to pay for that..in blood". Faster than Rogue could react, the blue skinned mutant tackled her to the ground and straddled her waist, driving punch after punch into Rogue's ribcage. * Ah can't let her beat me * Rogue thought as another blow slammed home, and she heard something snap, followed by a burning pain in her chest. She screamed in pain, and lashed out blindly, striking Mystique in the throat and causing her to fall off, gasping for air. She stood up weakly, protecting her side with one arm and moved to kick Mystique in the throat, hoping to end it quickly. Unfortunately, even injured the shape shifter was far from vulnerable. Her arm bulged suddenly with muscles, until it was as large as Juggernaut's and she slammed a boulder sized fist into Rogue's knee, shattering it and dropping the young X-Man to the ground, tears in her eyes. Mystique rose slowly, almost mockingly taking her time in moving and gracefully leapt to the top of a nearby mausoleum, leaning against the marble angel that topped it. " I have to give it to you Rogue, you tried. You really gave it your best shot to beat me," she smiled mockingly, shifting into Raven Darkholme, " You deserve an A for effort really." She shifted back to her true form and continued, " I think I'll give you a D for death instead. Like I should have when you were born, you useless, pathetic nothing! I offered you power, more power than you could ever imagine. A chance to stand at the side of those who will rule the world, and you gave it all up. For what? A boy? A foolish dream of a old, bald cripple? You can't even beat me in your own mind. What use could you be to anyone? I'll be doing Xavier a favor by ending you now, though I hate to admit it. Goodbye Rogue. I'll see you in hell". She prepared to leap down onto her daughter's chest and crush it when she found herself wrapped in the stone wings of the angel she had been leaning on and held tight. " What the fuck?!". Slowly, determinedly Rogue pushed herself to her feet, no evidence of pain in her face or stance at all. " No! It's not possible. I can't lose, not now!" Mystique howled, writhing against her restraints. " You said it bitch. It's my mind. That means my rules, not yours." Rogue smiled coldly, raising a hand to the edge of Scott's glasses which had somehow stayed on throughout the fight "Goodbye.mama" She slowly pulled the glasses off and stared directly at the woman trapped within the angel's wings, unleashing a bright red beam of pure energy that shattered both the angel and its prisoner. Exhausted, Rogue closed her eyes and put the glasses back on, slumping to the cold ground.  
  
If she had had the energy after the fight, she probably would have cried, but she just couldn't. The tears would probably come later when she was alone, just like she would always be. * There went my last chance to find out how to control these powers * she thought. " You're not gonna blow me up too, are you?" asked a timid, frightened, and hauntingly familiar voice. Looking up, Rogue found herself staring into her own eyes. The wide and frightened eyes she had that fateful first night she found out she was a mutant. " Why would Ah do that sugah?" she asked, standing slowly to look at herself. Her mental twin motioned to her dirty and torn uniform, " You're one of them, aren't you? Those mutant hunters, the X-Men.". Despite what she'd just been though Rogue managed a chuckle, and a proud smile " Yea, I'm an X-Man. But you've got it wrong, we aren't mutant hunters, we work to help mutants and humans alike. We're the good guys. Mystique, the woman you just saw go off like a fourth of July celebration, and Irene, they lied to you sugah.". Mental Rogue, what Rogue dubbed her "twin" for lack of a better term, looked at her incredulously " How do you know Irene? Did you do something to her?" she asked pulling off her gloves and taking a step towards the battered X-Man. Rogue, smiled at her mental twin's audacity and loyalty, glad that she'd finally turned that loyalty to people who deserved it, " No, Ah didn't hurt Irene, she hurt me. Well, you.us" she said only slightly confused. Mental Rouge paused, " What've you been smoking?" she asked. " You don't see it?" Rogue replied with a smile, ignoring the sarcasm * God, am Ah really that bad? * " I'm you. A little older, a lot wiser, but still you." " Ah might be some sort of freak," her mental twin argued, " but Ah don't remember being able to blow shit up with my eyes". Rogue's smile widened " No, you can't blow shit up with your eyes. But you know one hell of a kisser who can". " Ah ask again, what have you been smoking?" Mental Rouge said, totally confused by this stranger who claimed to be her. Rogue sighed and pulled off her gloves, without a word of explanation, she grabbed her mental twin's hands. Memories, images, and feelings flowed freely between her two selves for several moments until simultaneously backed away from each other in awe. " Ah...we..did all that? Helped all those people" Mental Rogue asked, tears of happiness in her eyes. " We sure did" " And that boy? Scott..he really loves us?" Rogue felt a huge smile spread across her face as she answered, " Yes, he really does." Her mental twin stared at her for a moment, considering something carefully " Let me see your hands, like this" She demonstrated, holding her hand straight up, palm outward as if she was going to high five herself. Curious, Rogue did as she was asked and her mental twin met her palms with her own before slowly melting, flowing really, into Rogue's body. As the last of her mental twin disappeared within her, Rogue felt different somehow. * Ah know how to control my powers * she realized excitedly * but how? * * Just what, or rather who, do you think was in that file marked Rogue?* came a faint answer * You above all people should know what kind of trickster Mystique can be. If she'd really burned your psyche, she'd have destroyed herself too. Now, when do Ah get to meet Scott? * " Ah'd say right about now" Rogue muttered happily, feeling Scott's powers draining from her body. With a final thought of thanks to her mental twin, Rogue brought herself out of the meditative state, and placed Scott's glasses back on his face, waiting for the moment her love would reawaken. 


	7. Waking Up to Love

Losing Control And Finding Your Heart Chapter 7: Waking up to love  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution, I've just been playing with it for a while. Fortunately as this is the last chapter, I won't have to repeat that again. For a little bit anyway.  
  
Dedication: To my beautiful fiancée; I can't wait until I can wake up to you for the rest of my life. I love you so very much.  
  
Special Thanks: to all of the reviewers who've supported me in this fic. It's been a pleasure to write this, and I'm honored that you think it's a good one. You guys have been more than I could ever ask for in reviewers. Thank you all so much!!  
  
Author's note: Sorry for the two day delay in getting this last chapter posted. I've had just over 10 hrs of sleep in the past couple of days and my body decided that I needed more. Damn traitorous thing.  
  
" The Curtains close on a kiss, god knows we can tell the end is near, where do we go from here?" - From Buffy the Vampire Slayer ep. Once More With Feeling (don't own that either by the way)...and away we go...  
  
The darkness surrounding Scott Summers slowly receded to be replaced with the all too familiar red tint of the energy that comprised his optic blasts. With a groan, he reached up to rub his temples, trying to rid himself of the headache awaking from the effects of Rogue's power draining gift always brought. * No matter how many times I go through this, I'll never get used to it* he thought. Making sure that his glasses were firmly in place, Scott opened his eyes to the vision of a smiling Rogue * Then again, there are worse ways to wake up* " Hi sleeping beauty," She said with a smile, " Ah wondered when you'd finally wake up". " Wasn't sleeping beauty awakened by her true love with a kiss?" he smiled. * Something's not quite right here * Scott thought, gazing up at Rogue, it was like she was upside down * That would mean that she's leaning over me..and since I don't seem to be laying on her legs, my head would have to be..* Suddenly realization slammed into him and he tried to bolt upright, only to be restrained by Rogue gently applying pressure to his shoulders and pulling his head back down. " Easy Scott, there are plenty of guys who would love to have their head in my lap" she grinned, tossing him a wink and was rewarded with a deep blush. Rogue slowly ran her gloved fingers through his hair and Scott sighed, knowing he wouldn't win this fight with her and settled back against her, enjoying the sensations her fingers caused. " Are you alright?" he asked softly. Rogue laughed lightly, smiling down at him, " You just came out of a coma, and you're asking if Ah'm alright. There you go being the fearless leader again. Ah thought you said we didn't have to play those kinds of roles anymore?" Scott smiled, " No changing the subject. Are you ok Rogue?" "Ah'm wonderful," she replied with an enigmatic smile of her own. * Ah should just tell him already.but Ah have to know for sure that he wants me regardless. Ah can still feel that he does, but Ah need to hear it from him again. * If anything about how he felt her changed because of her revelation that she could control her power, she'd rather have never learned how to control it because she wouldn't be touching anyone else ever again.  
  
"Rogue, where am I? Unless Hank's decided on serious remodeling, and gotten a much more comfortable bed, I don't think this is the med center." " You're in my bed sugah, Ah considered the med center, but that would have meant a call to Hank to ask how to hook things up, and since you were still alive, Ah didn't feel particularly like explaining why Ah needed to hook you up to machines. You have a problem with being in my bed?" She smiled teasingly, finally letting Scott sit up. * Hmmmm.there has to be a correct answer * Scott considered carefully * If I say yes that I have a problem, I risk hurting her. If I say I have no problem, she'll think I'm a pervert.* Given those choices, the answer was obvious. " Of course I don't have a problem being in your bed, just a little surprised, that's all." He replied, turning around to face her, he carefully selected his next words. " Rogue, about earlier.." " Scott, Ah have a question." They said at the same time, then laughed nervously. " You first" Rogue prompted with a smile, leaning towards him and giving him a little shove in the arm, " And don't even think about telling me to go first. Ah'm not gonna get stuck in a cycle of ' you firsts'." She grinned, crossing her arms over her chest. " What I was going to say was," Scott took a deep breath, " I'm sorry about kissing you earlier.not that I didn't want to. But I should have asked first instead of just doing it and burdening you with my powers. Thanks for not blasting my sorry ass for that. But I want you to know, that I do love you. With all of my heart, and I would never do anything to hurt you. I think we've really got something worth exploring here, but if you don't want to.." He trailed off, the "just friends" option remaining unspoken between them.  
  
* Here goes, well everything * Rogue thought as Scott's words sunk in. " Ah think you're right Scott, we do have something worth exploring. And..Ah love you too. Ah have since the minute Ah set eyes on you" She blushed, realizing how corny that sounded and pushed on, " the real you Ah mean. Not Mystique impersonating you. But Ah need to know, if Ah never learn to control my powers, will you still love me? Ah need to hear you say it. Not just get it from your emotions or memories Scott. Ah need to hear the words, but only if you mean them." Scott smiled reassuringly and grave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, " I never thought I'd have to reassure the bad ass of Bayville of anything. But yes, I love you regardless of your power situation Rogue. I fell in love with your personality and your inner beauty. That comes first for me, everything else is a distant second. If you never learn to control your powers.if we can never make." " Love?" she asked, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. Scott glared at her playfully, " I was going to say physical contact, Ms. Gutter Mind. Even if we can never touch for more than a second, it'll be more than enough." Rogue smiled, tears brimming in her eyes as she slowly removed one glove and then the other, never taking her eyes away from his. " And if Ah want more than a second of contact with you?" she whispered, bringing her hands up to each side of his face, pulling him to her and kissing him slowly.  
  
Initially Scott tensed up, wondering if she had finally lost her mind to the psyches she'd absorbed, but it slowly dawned on him that he wasn't losing consciousness and leaned into the kiss, pulling her closer to him. However, even mutants need oxygen and so reluctantly, the two parted, only slightly. " How?" Scott asked simply; Rogue could swear that she actually saw his eyes widen in shock through his glasses. " Ah'll explain later." She said with a smile, " Ah've missed out on years of being able to touch anyone without hurting them. Talking isn't exactly at the top of my list of priorities right now." She grinned, noticing the deep blush coloring Scott's cheeks. Gently caressing his cheek with her bare hand, she smiled, " And just what do you think Ah was talking about handsome?" " No.nothing" he stuttered, leaning into her touch and taking her other hand in his, squeezing it softly. " Sure, Ah believe you" She laid back on the bed, pulling Scott down on top of her and kissed him again, holding him close. Scott gently slipped his arms around her and pulled the back of her shirt up, rubbing the small of her back and drawing a blissful sigh from Rogue. " Sorry" he muttered, moving his hands from her back, " Got a little carried away I guess. No need to rush things, right?" he smiled, " Unless you're planning on dumping me anytime soon." " And why would Ah do that?" She asked, " Ah didn't think that was at all carried away either. You were just giving me a back rub. It's not like we were naked or anything.." She trailed off, an evil gleam entering her eyes as she pushed Scott off of her and propped herself up on an elbow to look at him. " Whatever it is you're thinking Rogue, the answer is no," he stated, slightly unnerved by the almost predatory gleam in her eyes. * Damn, he knows me too well * she thought, * Ah guess Ah'll have to pull out the big guns *. She knew it was wrong, she knew it was manipulative, she also knew that Scott would be unable to resist; Rogue stuck out her lower lip slightly in a pout, " Awww.come on Scott, live a little." He did better than she thought he would, holding out for almost three minutes before sighing, " Ok, what's on your mind?" Rogue grinned wolfishly and grabbed his hand, climbing off the bed, "Follow me," she said, giving him a quick peck on the lips.  
  
She led him out of the bedroom and down the hall, stopping in front of the women's room. " It's been a long day, how about a nice relaxing shower? " she winked teasingly. Scott gulped, trying very hard not to pass out from blood loss to the brain, somehow he had the feeling that a shower with Rogue would be anything but relaxing. " Ummm.Rogue, I think a shower would be well into the rushing things area," he stammered out, trying not to betray his cool exterior and failing miserably. " Relax sugah, all Ah want is a shower. No funny business, Ah swear. Ah just thought that it might be nice to feel someone else's hands for a change. You're not gonna deny me just a little pleasure, are ya Scott?" She threatened to pout again, and he could clearly see it in her eyes and the slight tremble of her lower lip. " Of course I won't," a voice he distantly recognized as his own answered. Only slightly guilty about abusing the ultimate feminine weapon of the pout, Rogue smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the women's room before he could protest further. Instinctively he closed his eyes, despite the fact that he and Rogue were the only two in the mansion for the next week and a half. Had she not let go of his hand once the door was shut, his instincts would have served him well; as it was he wandered blindly into a low bench just outside of the showers, tripping over it. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw Rogue standing over him, an amused smirk on her face. " Are you done with being over gentlemanly, or would you prefer to walk into other furniture. I could open the door of a stall if you want that experience" Scott grudgingly accepted the hand she extended and stood. " Smart ass" he said. " You'll get to see my ass, and the rest of me soon enough sugah," she teased back, watching him go a deep crimson. * Maybe Ah should go easy on the poor guy * she mused, not noticing that he'd whipped of his shirt and was standing in front of her bare-chested. " Penny for your thoughts," he said, drawing her attention back to him, and causing all thoughts to fly from her head. Reaching out slowly, she placed a bare hand against his chest, just over his heart, her face brightening at the simple contact, " Keep your change" she whispered, tilting her head up to kiss him slowly.  
  
Time slowed as they became lost in the gentle pressure of each other's lips, a simple, almost curious joy as they explored their new emotions without words. Eventually they parted, Scott smirking, " For someone who was so interested in the shower idea, how come you're the one still fully clothed?". It was, he considered, the best and worst thing he could have possibly said, as Rogue took it as a challenge and whipped off her shirt as well, revealing that she hadn't bothered with a bra. " Happy now?," she smiled, with a glance towards Scott's pants, " Ah'll take that as a yes." Wordlessly, Scott pulled her to him in another kiss, feeling the soft swell of her breasts press against his chest. " How do you feel about cold showers?" he murmured into her ear.  
  
Laughing, Rogue pushed away from his embrace, as hard as it was, and turned walking to a shower stall and pulling the curtain back before turning the water on towards hot. " Ah hate them," she said, " Ah prefer long, hot, steamy showers" . " You're just doing this to drive me crazy, aren't you?" he asked. Rogue nodded, a huge grin on her face as she slid her pants off. Thankfully, she had worn panties, otherwise Scott probably would have passed out, and not from her stealing his powers. As it was, his knees buckled a bit in shock and he almost had to sit down. " Now who's more dressed?" She asked, the challenge evident in her voice. That did it. Scott quickly removed his pants and briefs before rushing past her into the shower stall and pulling the curtain closed, which as it turned out wasn't the best plan, as the water had become quite hot. " Ow ow ow ow ow," he chanted, carefully reaching past the near scalding water to turn it to a more tolerable temperature, " Are we showering or boiling ourselves Rogue," he called from behind the curtain. "Well, since you're the only one in there right now, Ah'd say that you're the one showering," she quietly slipped out of her panties and joined him behind the curtain, slipping her arms around his waist and snuggling against his back, sighing contentedly as much from the warm water washing over her as from the physical contact, " Now, we're showering." Scott turned in her arms and smiled, leaning in for a quick kiss " I love you" he whispered. A shiver that had nothing to do with the water temperature ran through Rogue at those words, " Ah love you too" She answered, smiling beautifully.  
  
Despite the newness of the situation, neither occupant of the shower was uneasy with it. Slipping out of Rogue's embrace, Scott picked up a bar of soap and worked up a rich lather, before slowly washing her chest, his fingers exploring her breasts carefully as they cleaned, walking the thin line between cleaning and teasing. Rogue leaned back against the wall of the stall, her eyes closed in ecstasy from the touch, a low moan escaping her lips. Scott took his time, gently caressing her skin as he worked his way down her body, careful to avoid crossing the delicate line they were walking, but knowing how much this meant to her he wanted her to enjoy it. For her part, Rogue was in heaven, just the sensation of his hands on her body was indescribably better than anything she had read in " Forbidden Passions" and her fantasies rolled into one. Every touch, every caress, promised love that was there and love that would grow. Reluctantly, she pushed Scott away to turn into the water, letting the warm spray wash the suds from her body. " Oh Scott, Ah think you missed a spot sugah," grinning mischievously, Rogue took his hand and placed it firmly between her legs, almost laughing at the shocked expression on his face. Taking pity on him, she let his hand go and bent over to pick up the soap. " Ok, my turn, and don't worry, Ah won't miss any spots." Yes, there were times that Scott Summers hated being an orphan with no family to go home to on the break. This was definitely not one of those times. As Rogue began to lather his body, he smiled. * This is definitely going to be an interesting week and a half * . Neither of them would have it any other way; in losing control of their feelings for each other, they had found their hearts.  
  
The End 


	8. Author's Afterword

Author's Afterword: Just a short note to once again thank all my wonderful reviewers for their kind words and support. Thanks also goes out to the people who run fanfiction.net for having a place where I could actually put this, and for getting the issues I had with uploading (which is why the final chapter took so long to get up) taken care of promptly. Thanks to my wonderful fiancée for being herself ( (you didn't think I'd forget her did you?) and perhaps most of all, thanks to the creators of X-Men Evolution who let me play with Scott and Rogue for a while without bringing any lawsuits against me. 


End file.
